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Falcons 2021 mock draft: Justin Fields the heir to Matt Ryan’s throne

By Sayre Bedinger

The Denver Broncos trade up to select Justin Fields at No. 7 in this 2021 NFL mock draft (Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
The Denver Broncos trade up to select Justin Fields at No. 7 in this 2021 NFL mock draft (Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Justin Fields, Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons select Justin Fields in the first round of this 2021 NFL mock draft (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

The Atlanta Falcons are ushering in a new era with general manager Terry Fontenot coming over from the division rival New Orleans Saints along with highly coveted head coaching candidate Arthur Smith (Titans OC) taking Dan Quinn’s old job.

The Falcons currently own six selections in the 2021 NFL Draft but are projected for some additional day three compensatory picks.

How will Fontenot and Smith come together to spend these selections? Using a mock draft simulator, we ended up getting nine selections for the Falcons over the top six rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Atlanta has a chance to really reshape the roster in 2021.

The Falcons hold the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. With the top two picks expected to be quarterbacks, things should get really interesting with the third and fourth picks.

Will some team like Carolina try to jump over the Falcons and get a guy like Justin Fields or Zach Wilson?

If the Dolphins keep the third pick, they are not going to take a quarterback, so in this scenario, the Falcons had the chance to do what almost every team that changes both general manager and head coach does: Get a new quarterback.

Matt Ryan has been the face of the Falcons since 2008. Unfortunately, things have only gone downhill since the team’s devastating Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.

Ryan’s contract is virtually untradeable in 2021 but come 2022 the Falcons might have a chance to officially move on. If that’s the case, having Fields sit for a year behind Ryan in waiting is something this team would have to seriously consider.

What made Arthur Smith’s offense so great in Tennessee was obviously having a very strong running game to build the passing game around, and a player like Fields could fit well in the same type of system that Smith built for Ryan Tannehill with the Titans.

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